Whoville Folks Say Proposed Site Is Not Going To Work

Ken Laini and others watch the train go by a proposed site for a homeless camp in North Eugene.

Credit Rachael McDonald

Homeless advocates say a grassy area between a busy highway and the main line railroad in north Eugene is not a good place for the residents of Whoville. The City Council last week voted to approve a 3rd pilot "rest stop" for the people who've been at a camp near downtown for months.

It's a narrow piece along Northwest Expressway, near its intersection with River Road. No sidewalks. As vehicles whiz by, Ken Lainy sits in his wheelchair on a gravel driveway.

Lainy: "This wheelchair doesn’t go in mud. It's not 4-wheel drive and it's not designed to go in anything except for smooth surfaces."

Lainy says he wouldn't be able to get around at this site. He's been living at Whoville off and on for months. When he gets his Social Security check, he stays at a hotel, which allows him to lay down to cope with severe back pain. He can lay down at Whoville too, where friends are there to help. But the city wants Whoville folks to leave the lot at East Broadway and Hilyard.

Lainy: "But I'm thankful, Whoville's there, you know."

Here comes the train.

Lainy: "This is probably every night. So here we are for right to sleep guys, let's sleep."

The group that's managing a nearby rest stop and the adjacent site here slated for veterans, Community Supported Shelters, says they can not manage this site because of size and lack of accessibility.

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In a work session today (Wednesday) the Eugene City Council voted to shut down the homeless camp known as Whoville. The motion includes opening an alternate location in West Eugene.

Eugene City Manager John Ruiz moved that Whoville, currently located at Broadway and Hilyard, be closed by no later than April 1st. Ruiz also recommended authorizing a second "rest stop" at the Northwest Expressway location.

Homeless advocates are calling on Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy to use her executive power to declare a housing emergency so a homeless camp can remain. The group held a press conference Thursday at Whoville.

Organizations in our community are not only concerned about people who are homeless, they are taking concrete steps to create housing for vulnerable families and individuals. ShelterCare is a local nonprofit, organized more than four decades ago to serve homeless families. For a quarter-century, the organization has been providing transitional support for families leaving shelter. Their focus is on families, persons with mental illness, and those with brain injuries.